The present invention relates to an ink cartridge which accommodates an ink container incorporating an ink outlet section and an ink storing section, which is used for the inkjet recording apparatus.
In recent years, digital devices have shown rapid progress, and in order to visually print out information outputted from the digital devices, inkjet printers are requested to produce more exquisite output, meeting the progress of the digital devices, and further, the image size produced by the inkjet printer is also required to be larger. In an inkjet recording device (printer), an ink cartridge is used to supply ink to a recording head, and an ink cartridge is provided with an ink container which incorporates an ink outlet section and an ink storing section.
Due to larger printed images, the amount of ink consumption is increased. Further, due to larger dimensions of the ink storing section, the ink storing section and the ink outlet section, formed of multilayer materials in which various laminated thermoplastic resin films are used, are advantageous in productivity and production cost. The functions described below are required of an ink cartridge used in inkjet recording device.
(1) In order that the inkjet recording device can stably produce text and picture images on a recording sheet, required is that the ink storing section of the ink container can secure the desired characteristics of ink, such as viscosity and surface tension, over the long term.
(2) Generation of air bubbles must be prevented in ink flow path from the ink container to the recording head, and blockage of ink flow caused by foreign substances must be prevented.
(3) The ink cartridge must be easily loaded into and removed from the inkjet recording device.
Concerning means to achieve the above described requirements, multiplayer film materials are used for the ink storing section of the ink container, which is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publications JP-A 54-151033, JP-A 56-44669, JP-A 54-151033, JP-A 56-44669, JP-A 62-121062 and JP-A 7-323559.
In ink storing sections having the above means, an ink storing section formed of the multiplayer film materials is commonly used due to increased productivity and lower cost, however they exhibit some drawbacks described below.
(1) Due to occasional dropping and vibration of the ink cartridge during transportation and handling, the ink container in the ink cartridge is displaced, which results in bending of the ink storing section, pin holes are generated on the bent section, and further, the bent section grinds against the inner surfaces of the ink cartridge, resulting in generation of pin holes, and further, the ink outlet section may be displaced from the ink storing section.
(2) While the operation of the inkjet recording device loading the above ink cartridge, when the amount of the ink is reduced, the ink storing section is deformed and its capacity is also reduced, and thereby, some creases are generated, in which ink is trapped.
As countermeasure for the above problems, for examples, an flexible ink container bag is used which incorporates an ink outlet section and the ink storing section, formed of soft multiplayer film material. In order to reduce remaining ink, disclosed is an ink cartridge wherein a pressing member is mounted on the ink storing section, incorporating an ink outlet section in which an ink supplying pin can be inserted, when the ink cartridge is loaded onto the inkjet recording device (Patent Document 1). However, according to the ink cartridge of Patent Document 1, the mounted pressing member may be dislocated by dropping or vibration during transportation, further, when the ink amount is reduced during operation of the inkjet recording device, the ink storing section may be deformed, and if the deformation is a wrong shape, much ink may remain, which is a problem. Further, since the ink outlet section and the ink storing section are not fixed, when the ink cartridge is loaded into the inkjet recording device, positioning of the ink outlet section requires a relatively long time, that is, exchanging ink cartridges takes a relatively long time.
An ink cartridge is well known wherein a buffer materials protect an ink container as a bag, incorporating an ink outlet section and an ink storing section, formed of soft multi-layer film materials, whereby most damage of the ink container is prevented, such as dropping during the transportation and the handling, or by vibration during the transportation (Patent Document 2). However, in the case of the ink cartridge of Patent Document 2, since the cushioning material covers the ink container, when only a little ink remains, clearance is generated between the buffer materials and the ink storing section, and if the deformation of the ink storing section causes ink blockage, the amount of remaining ink can be quite very large, which is wasteful, and further, it requires time and material to produce the ink cartridge, resulting in wasteful productivity.
Also well known is an ink cartridge, wherein an ink container being a bag or pouch, incorporating an ink outlet section and an ink storing section, formed of soft multi-layer film material, is pressed by a pressing means, so that any the remaining ink can be decreased (Patent Document 3). However, in the case of the ink cartridge of Patent Document 3, the ink storing section must be inserted within the pressing means, which is time consuming in terms of workability when the cartridge is loaded.
Also well known is an ink cartridge, wherein reinforcing materials are provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of an ink container being a bag or pouch, incorporating an ink outlet section and an ink storing section, formed of the soft multi-layer film material, so that the remaining ink can be decreased (Patent Document 4). However, in the case of the ink cartridge of Patent Document 4, when the amount of ink is reduced, clearance is generated between the reinforcing materials and the ink storing section, whereby, if the deformation of the ink storing section is severe, the amount of remaining ink can be very large. When the ink cartridge is loaded into the inkjet recording device, the direction of the ink outlet section is limited, resulting in poor versatility. Due to the above conditions, concerning an inkjet cartridge, incorporating the ink outlet section and the ink storing section with less remaining ink, an inkjet cartridge is strongly required to be developed which is easily mounted into or dismounted from the inkjet recording device, and not effected by dropping during transportation or handling, nor by vibration during transportation.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A 2002-347257
[Patent Document 2] JP-A 2002-331684
[Patent Document 3] JP-A 2003-226023
[Patent Document 4] JP-A 2003-145785